The Criminal Court has issued a warrant for the arrest of a Cambodian national wanted for allegedly hiring a former Thai marine to assassinate former Cambodian opposition MP Lim Kimya in Bangkok on January 7.
The suspect, identified by Thai police as ‘Ly Ratanakrasmey’ or ‘Somwang Bamrungkit’, has been charged with hiring someone to kill another person (criminal solicitation), coercion and carrying and using firearms in public.
Another Cambodian, only identified as ‘Pich’, the alleged spotter who assisted in the assassination of Lim Kimya, is still at large and Thai police have asked Interpol to issue a Red Notice for his arrest.
The alleged hitman, Ekaluck Paenoi, was arrested by Cambodian police in Battambang and was handed over to Thai police at the border checkpoint in Aranyaprathet district of Sa Kaeo province on Saturday.
Ekaluck reportedly told police investigators that he was hired by an individual, with whom he is close, to kill Lim for a payment of 60,000 baht.
